Disconnect arrangement for multi-unit printing press

ABSTRACT

A disconnect arrangement for a multi-unit sheet fed press in which the transfer cylinder, together with its grippers, gripper cam and followers, are shifted axially out of mesh with the gears on adjacent impression cylinders thereby interrupting the press drive train and permitting individual operation of the units. The disconnected transfer cylinder is locked in a predetermined angular relationship relative to the adjacent cylinders with the transfer cylinder gaps facing the impression cylinders so that the grippers on the impression cylinders can open into the gaps as the units are individually rotated.

United States Patent Henkel [54] DISCONNECT ARRANGEMENT FOR MULTI-UNITPRINTING PRESS [72] Inventor: Norman K. Henkel, Dayton, Ohio [73]Assignee: Harris-Intertype I Corporation,

Cleveland, Ohio [22] Filed: April 2, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 130,713

[52] US. Cl ..l01/183, 101/411 [51] Int. Cl. ..B41f 7/06 [58] Field ofSearch ..101/l36145, 152,

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,707,914 5/1955 Harrold"101/183 1 Oct. 24, 1972 12/1965 Tagliasacchi ..10l/l83 6/1970 Giuiuzza..l0l/l83 Primary Examiner-J. Reed Fisher Attorney-Yount and Tarolli[57] I ABSTRACT A disconnect arrangement for a multi-unit sheet fedpress, in which the transfer cylinder, together with its grippers,gripper cam and followers, are shifted axially out of mesh with thegears on adjacent impression cylinders thereby interrupting the pressdrive train and permitting individual operation of the units. Thedisconnected transfer cylinder is locked in a predetermined angularrelationship relative to the adjacent cylinders with the transfercylinder gaps facing the impression cylinders so that the grippers onthe impression cylinders can open into the gaps as the units areindividually rotated.

4 Claims, 3 Drawing Figures PATENTED 00124 1912 3,699,886

FIGI 48 FIG. 2

lA/l/EA/TOR NORMA/V K. HEN/(EL DISCONNECT ARRANGEMENT FOR MULTl-UNITPRINTING PRESS This invention relates to multi-unit sheet fed rotaryprinting presses and, more particularly, to a disconnect arrangement forallowing the impression cylinders of the press to be rotatedindependently of the transfer cylinder without interference between theinterdigitated gripper fingers associated with the transfer cylinder andthe impression cylinders.

Although the invention will be described with particular reference to amulti-unit three cylinder offset sheet fed press, it will be appreciatedthat the invention may be used with any press in which it is desired todisconnect an intergeared cylinder from adjacent cylinders havinginterdigitated fingers.

In sheet fed presses, various transfer mechanisms are provided totransfer the sheets from one printing unit to the next. Typically, thesetransfer mechanisms comprise transfer cylinders, the peripheral surfacesof which rotate in close proximity to the peripheral surfaces of theimpression cylinders. Gripper fingers both on the impression cylindersand the transfer cylinders grip and release the sheet in a closely timedsequence whereby the sheet is carried around one cylinder andtransferred to the next. These gripper fingers are normally positionedin a gap formed in the surfaces of the cylinder and are moved radiallyoutward above the surface of the cylinder in a timed sequence controlledby a cam and follower mechanism.

When a sheet is being transferred from one cylinder to the next, thefingers on the two cylinders are interdigitated so that the gripperfingers on one cylinder move outwardly into the gap of the adjacentcylinder to release the edge of the sheet after the gripper fingers onthe other cylinder, which have been opened, close on the edge of thesheet. The movement of the fingers as they open and close must be timedwith relation to the rotation of the cylinders so that the gaps onadjacent cylinders coincide to accommodate the radial movement of thefingers during the sheet transfer.

In any multi-unit printing press it frequently is necessary or desirableto perform certain make-ready or clean-up operations on the individualunits of the press. However, since all of these units in a multi-unitprinting press, including the transfer cylinders, normally are gearedtogether, it is necessary that some means be provided for disconnectingone unit from the other so that the disconnected unit can be operatedindependently for the make-ready or clean-up operation. To this end, ithas been suggested to disconnect each individual printing unit andprovide auxiliary motors whereby each disconnected unit can beindividually rotated. However, it will be appreciated that when one unitis disconnected from the next, the timed relationship between adjacentcylinders, one rotating and the other stationary, no longer prevails andthere is a possibility that the gripper fingers on the cylinder beingrotated will interfere with or engage the periphery of the disconnectedadjacent cylinders. Moreover, when reconnecting the units, it isimportant that they be reconnected in the proper timed relationship toavoid gripper interference when the units are operated simultaneously.

It is the primary object of this invention to provide a disconnectarrangement whereby the transfer cylinder of a multi-unit press may bedisconnected from the press drive gear train thereby to permitindividual operation of the press units while maintaining the transfercylinder in a fixed angular position such that the grippers on adjacentrotating cylinders do not interfere with the disconnected cylinder.

More specifically, this invention contemplates a disconnect arrangementfor a multi-unit sheet fed printing press in which a transfer cylinderhaving a circumference which is an equal multiple, greater than 1, ofthe impression cylinders is positioned between a pair of impressioncylinders and is adapted to be disconnected from the drive gear train ofthe press. Each of the impression cylinders and the transfer cylinderhas sets of interdigitating sheet grippers thereon for successivelytransferring sheets from one printing unit to the next with the transfercylinder having a plurality of gaps in its periphery in each of whichone set of grippersv is mounted. The impression cylinders of theadjacent units are angularly spaced about the axis of the transfercylinder such that a pair of gaps in the transfer cylinder aresimultaneously adjacent the impression cylinders of the adjacent units.The disconnect arrangement includes means for disconnecting the printingunit drive gears from each other and for disconnecting the transfercylinder from the gear train with means for locking the disconnectedtransfer cylinder against rotation in a predetermined angularrelationship relative to the impression cylinders whereby a pair of thetransfer cylinder gaps are positioned to face the adjacent impressioncylinders so that upon rotation of the impression cylinders the grippersthereon open into the space of the gaps of the stationary transfercylinder.

In the preferred form of the invention, the drive gear train comprisesgears on each of the impression cylinders and the transfer cylinder, allof which lie in the same plane, with the disconnect arrangement beingoperative to shift the transfer cylinder axially thereby shifting itsassociated gear axially out of that plane and therefore out of mesh withthe impression cylinder gears.

The invention further contemplates that the cam which controls theoperation of the transfer cylinder grippers, and which is normallysecured against rotation, will be shifted axially with the transfercylinder when the transfer cylinder gear is disconnected therebymaintaining the cam and its associated cam followers in operationalalignment.

Other objects, features and aspects of the invention will be moreapparent upon a complete reading of the following description which,together with the attached drawings, discloses but a preferred form ofthe invention.

Referring now to the drawings wherein like reference numerals indicatelike parts in the various views:

FIG. 1 is a schematic illustration in side elevation of a portion of atypical multi-unit press;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the transfer cylinder and impressioncylinders of the press of FIG. 1 constructed in accordance with theprinciples of this invention;

FIG. 3 is a view along line 3-3 of FIG. 2.

Referring now more in detail to the drawings, there is illustrated inFIG. 1 a typical three cylinder sheet fed offset multi-unit press andwhich includes first and second printing units 10 and 12 respectively.Printing unit 10 includes-a plate cylinder 14, blanket cylinder 16 andimpression cylinder 18. Printing unit 12 is identical to unit and hasplate, blanket and impression cylinders '13, 15 and 17. A transfercylinder common to both impression cylinders 17,18 is positioned betweenthe two cylinders. Gaps 21,22 are formed in the cylinders 17 ,18respectively and in which sets of grippers 23,24 are positioned foroperation in conventional manner.

The transfer cylinder 20 has a circumference which is an equal multiple,greater than 1, of the circumference of the impression cylinders 17,18.As illustrated, the transfer cylinder 20 is three times the size of theimpression cylinder and includes three angularly spaced gaps 25, 26, 27in each of which is positioned a set of grippers 28.

All of the cylinders are rotatably supported by appropriate bearingsbetween a pair of side frames 29,30. A press drive gear train isprovided to drive all of the units of the multi-unit press by a singlemain drive motor M. This drive gear train includes gears 31,32 on theimpression cylinders 17,18 which are in meshing engagement with a gear34 on the transfer cylinder 20. As illustrated, each of the gears31,32,34 has a spur gear configuration with all of the gears lying inthe same plane. Other types of gears, such as helical gears, may beused. The press may be driven by the main drive motor driving the firsttransfer cylinder which, in the case of a two unit press, would be thecylinder 20. The gear 34 on the transfer cylinder will, through meshingengagement with the gears 31,32, drive the impression cylinders whilethe impression cylinders,

through appropriate gearing, not shown, will drive the blanket and platecylinders.

As is conventional, the movement of the grippers 28 on the transfercylinder 20 is controlled by a stationary cam, schematically illustratedat 36. Cam followers 38, each of which is connected to a pivotable shaft40 on which the gripper fingers are supported, cooperate with theperiphery of the cam. Appropriate spring means, not shown, act on thegrippers to normally bias the grippers to an open position. Thecooperation of the cam followers 38 with the cam surface moves thegrippers to a closed position. In a similar manner, the grippers 23,24on the impression cylinders 17,18 are also controlled by a suitable camand follower arrangement, not shown.

The foregoing construction is essentially conventional and operates totransfer a sheet in the following manner. The gripper fingers 24 on theimpression cylinder 18 grip the forward edge of the sheet being fed intothe printing unit 10 and carry the sheet through the nip of the firstunit. The rotation of the transfer cylinder 20 is closely timed to therotation of the impression cylinder 18 so that as the sheet is carriedthrough the first unit and subsequently released by the gripper fingers24, one of the gaps, for example, 26 is aligned with and facing the gap22. For the sheet to be transferred from the impression cylinder 18 tothe transfer cylinder 20, it is necessary for the grippers 28 in gap 26to open radially outward and close down on the forward edge of the sheetand for the fingers 24 thereafter to also open outward to release thesheet. Accordingly, as the impression and transfer cylinders rotate tothe position shown in FIG. 1, the grippers 24,28 are interdigitated toaffect the sheet transfer and the radially outward movement of the twosets of grippers is accommodated without interference due to the facinggaps 22,26. Thus, the grippers 28 can open radially into the gap 22while the grippers 24 open radially into the gap 26. The grippers 28then close down on the edge of the sheet and the sheet is carried by thecylinder 20 as it rotates in a clockwise direction around to the nextimpression cylinder 17 at which point the sheet is transferred to thecylinder 17. The sheet is carried by the transfer cylinder with theinked image on the sheet facing the smooth periphery of the cylinder.

It will be noted that the angular spacing of the gaps 25, 26, 27 and theposition of the impression cylinders 17,18 are such that a pair of gapsin the transfer cylinder are simultaneously adjacent the impressioncylinders for each revolution of the impression cylinder. In thismanner, each time the grippers 23,24 on the impression cylinders 17 ,18open radially, there is a gap on the transfer cylinder present toaccommodate this opening movement.

In accordance with the principles of this invention, it is contemplatedthat the transfer cylinder 20 may be disconnected from the press drivegear train but angularly positioned such that the gaps on the transfercylinder remain effective to accommodate the opening and closingmovements of the grippers on the impression cylinders when theimpression cylinders are operated independently. This is accomplished byproviding means for disconnecting the transfer cylinder from the drivegear train together with means for locking the disconnected transfercylinder against rotation in a predetermined angular relationshiprelative to the two impression cylinders 17,18. More specifically, thetransfer cylinder 20 is carried on a shaft 42 which is supported in theframes 29,30 for axially sliding movement. To disconnect the transfercylinder, it is shifted axially out of mesh with the impression cylindergears. The axial displacement of the shaft 42 and the transfer cylindermay be accomplished by any appropriate means but, as shown, a collar 44is provided on the gear side end of the shaft and a throw-out lever 46and appropriate means, such as a hydraulic cylinder, may be used toreciprocate the link 47 to actuate the throw-out lever 46 and therebydisplace the transfer cylinder.

Actuation of the throw-out lever 46 to shift the transfer cylinder 20 tothe left, as viewed in FIG. 2, will displace the gear 34 out of theplane of gears 31,32 and thereby disengage that gear from meshingengagement with the gears on the impression cylinders 17,18. Thereafter,the printing unit 10, may be rotated individually by a suitable motor M1connected to any of the cylinder gears within the unit and the unit 12may also be provided with a separate motor for individual operation.

It is important that the transfer cylinder 20 be disconnected andmaintained in a fixed predetermined angular relationship relative to thetwo impression cylinders 17,18. To this end, there is provided a lug 48which is carried on the frame member 29 with the lug being adapted to bereceived in an opening 50 in the side face of the gear 34. When thetransfer cylinder and the gear 34 are shifted to the left, as viewed inFIG. 2, the lug 48 enters the opening 50 thereby fixedly securing thetransfer cylinder against rotation. The position of the lug 48 is suchthat when engaged in the opening 50, the transfer cylinder is in theposition illustrated in FIG. 1, so that, as the impression cylinders17,18 are rotated individually, the gaps on the transfer cylinder arepositioned to accommodate the opening and closing movements of thegrippers 23,24.

To avoid separation of the cam follower from the periphery of the cam 36when the transfer cylinder is shifted axially, it is contemplated thatthe cam 36 will also be shifted with the cylinder. The cam 36 isreceived over the shaft 42 and fixed against rotation by a suitablemeans such as a pin 49 carried by the cam 36 and which is slidablyreceived in an opening in the frame 30. A flange 52 on the shaft 42 isadapted to engage the hub 53 of the cam 36. When the transfer cylinder20 is shifted to the left as viewed in FIG. 2, the flange 52 engages thehub 53 and moves the cam axially so that the operational alignment ofthe cam followers 38 and the cam 36 is maintained when the transfercylinder is disconnected. The axial movement of the cam 36 isaccommodated by the sliding movement of the pin 49 in the opening in theframe 30. Hence, the cam 36 remains rotationally fixed relative to theframe but is axially shiftable with the transfer cylinder 20.

It is contemplated that the described disconnect arrangement for thetransfer cylinder would be used in connection with an appropriatecontrol circuit. For example, suitable sensing means might be employedto sense the position of the cylinder 20 and to prevent shifting of thecylinder 20 except when the opening 50 is aligned with the lug 48.Reconnection of the transfer cylinder to the impression cylinder gearsin the proper timed relationship may be accomplished in various ways.One method would be to employ timing marks on the gears 31, 32, 34 sothat when it is desired to reconnect the transfer cylinder, theimpression cylinders 17,18 would be jogged until the marks on the gearsare aligned at which point the actuator would be actuated to shift thetransfer cylinder 20 to the right as viewed in HO. 2 to reconnect thetransfer cylinder into the gear train in the proper timed relationship.

It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the axial shiftingof the cylinder must take place in a manner such that the interdigitatedgrippers do not interfere. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, the grippers28 opposite gap 22 are open but grippers 24 are closed so that ascylinder 20 is shifted axially, grippers 28 and 24 do not interfere. Inaddition, the gap 26 is so positioned that the opening and closingmovement of grippers 24, as cylinder 18 is independently rotated,permits the grippers to clear the edge of gap 26.

While the invention has been described in connection with but apreferred embodiment, it is not intended that the illustrated embodimentor the terminology employed in describing it is to be limiting; rather,it is intended to be limited only by the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed 1. In a sheet fedprinting press having a plurality of individual intergeared printingunits each having an impression cylinder and a printing cylinder,

a sheet transfer cylinder between a pair of impression sai t r i fefiiie r i13lri2 a circumference which is an equal multiple, greater than1', of a cylinder circumference required to print a single sheet,

each of said impression cylinders and said transfer cylinder having setsof interdigitating sheet grippers thereon for successively transferringsheets from one printing unit to the next,

said transfer cylinder having a plurality of gaps in its periphery ineach of which one set of grippers is mounted,

the impression cylinders of the adjacent units being angularly spacedabout the axis of the transfer cylinder such that a pair of gaps in thetransfer cylinder are simultaneously adjacent said impression cylindersof the adjacent units,

a train of drive gears for said press,

means for disconnecting the transfer cylinder from the gear train,

means for locking said disconnected transfer cylinder against rotationin a predetermined an gular relationship relative to said adjacent unitsto position said pair of transfer cylinder gaps to face the adjacentimpression cylinders whereby rotation of the impression cylinders can beaccomplished while the grippers thereon open into the space of the gapsof the stationary transfer cylinder, and

means for driving each unit independently of the other while saidtransfer cylinder is stationary.

2. The press of claim 1 wherein the drive gear train includes gear meanson each of the pairs of impression cylinders and the transfer cylinderwith the gear means on said cylinders lying in the same plane and inmeshing engagement,

said disconnecting means comprising means for shifting the transfercylinder gear axially out of said plane and therefore out of mesh withthe adjacent impression cylinder gears.

3. The press of claim 2 wherein the transfer cylinder, its gear andgrippers are all mounted for axial movement as a unitary assembly uponoperation of said disconnecting means.

4. The press of claim 3 wherein the transfer cylinder grippers includepivotal shaft means on which the grippers are mounted,

cam follower means operatively connected to said shaft means,

a non-rotatable cam in the path of movement of said cam follower meansfor operating said shaft means to open and close said grippers toreceive and transfer sheets as required during normal transferringconditions, and

means for moving said cam axially with said transfer cylinder when saidtransfer cylinder gear is disconnected from its adjacent impressioncylinder gears whereby said cam and cam follower means remain inoperational alignment while so disconnected.

1. In a sheet fed printing press having a plurality of individualintergeared printing units each having an impression cylinder and aprinting cylinder, a sheet transfer cylinder between a pair ofimpression cylinders of adjacent units, said transfer cylinder having acircumference which is an equal multiple, greater than 1, of a cylindercircumference required to print a single sheet, each of said impressioncylinders and said transfer cylinder having sets of interdigitatingsheet grippers thereon for successively transferring sheets from oneprinting unit to the next, said transfer cylinder having a plurality ofgaps in its periphery in each of which one set of grippers is mounted,the impression cylinders of the adjacent units being angularly spacedabout the axis of the transfer cylinder such that a pair of gaps in thetransfer cylinder are simultaneously adjacent said impression cylindersof the adjacent units, a train of drive gears for said press, means fordisconnecting the transfer cylinder from the gear train, means forlocking said disconnected transfer cylinder against rotation in apredetermined angular relationship relative to said adjacent units toposition said pair of transfer cylinder gaps to face the adjacentimpression cylinders whereby rotation of the impression cylinders can beaccomplished while the grippers thereon open into the space of the gapsof the stationary transfer cylinder, and means for driving each unitindependently of the other while said transfer cylinder is stationary.2. The press of claim 1 wherein the drive gear train includes gear meanson each of the pairs of impression cylinders and the transfer cylinderwith the gear means on said cylinders lying in the same plane and inmeshing engagement, said disconnecting means comprising means forshifting the transfer cylinder gear axially out of said plane andtherefore out of mesh with the adjacent impression cylinder gears. 3.The press of claim 2 wherein the transfer cylinder, its gear andgrippers are all mounted for axial movement as a unitary assembly uponoperation of said disconnecting means.
 4. The press of claim 3 whereinthe transfer cylinder grippers include pivotal shaft means on which thegrippers are mounted, cam follower means operatively connected to saidshaft means, a non-rotatable cam in the path of movement of said camfollower means for operating said shaft means to open and close saidgrippers to receive and transfer sheets as required during normaltransferring conditions, and means for moving said cam axially with saidtransfer cylinder when said transfer cylinder gear is disconnected fromits adjacent impression cylinder gears whereby said cam and cam followermeans remain in operational alignment while so disconnected.